Repeal Bill 115: Halton public board

Repeal Bill 115: Halton public board

Those at the helm of the Halton District School Board are feeling the pinch of the dispute between the teachers and the Province — and now even the students.

As teachers cut extracurricular activities and administrative duties in protest of the government’s Bill 115, the Putting Students First Act, and students walk out of classes in protest of the loss of those activities, school board trustees agreed Wednesday to ask the Province to settle the dispute by repealing the bill.

Oakville trustee Don Vrooman, who brought the motion forward, said several other school boards have already done the same.

Vrooman said the bill has resulted in many negative effects and is hampering negotiations between school boards and unions for the public school teachers and support staff involved.

“It’s impeding the general negotiation process because of its constraints, the constraint that requires us to bargain to a pre-existing end point,” he said.

Bill 115 freezes teacher wages, cuts into benefits and takes away teachers’ local bargaining rights as it gives the Province final say on the terms of negotiated contracts.

Unions that do not sign locally-bargained agreements by Dec. 31 would have agreements imposed on them by the minister and cabinet.

Trustees approved the motion to have the school board chair on behalf of the board of trustees write a letter to the minister, asking her to repeal the bill.

Education director David Euale also provided trustees with an update to the cuts in sports and other extra curricular activities. He has suspended the secondary school sports schedule for the remainder of the semester, until Dec. 21, as teachers have stopped participating in all extracurricular activities.

The sports schedule will be re-examined in early January. Euale noted if sports pick up in the new year, there should be no reason why sports teams should be prohibited from getting into playoffs and finals despite a shortened season of play.

“We will review the situation in early January because, as you know, come January, there is likely to be a collective agreement in effect, therefore teachers will no longer be in a legal strike position,” he said. “We would do everything possible to salvage a season.”

The director was asked about the fees parents have paid for activities that have not started.

Euale had no clear answer for trustees as to the ramifications of such expenses as it varies from situation to situation. As an example, it is unknown if sports will return or if sports fees will be needed.